The 5 most influential players in Manchester United history

#2 Bobby Charlton

When discussions about the greatest player to ever play the game take place, the usual names come up every time – Pele, Maradona, and then others like Cruyff, Beckenbauer, Best, Zidane and now Messi and Ronaldo.

Somehow Bobby Charlton is usually forgotten, and it’s a mystery as to why. Not only was he a key player in England’s only World Cup win, he was arguably the best player to ever feature for Manchester United.

At one point Charlton held the records for the most ever appearances in a United shirt – although he was surpassed by Ryan Giggs in 2008 – and more importantly, the most goals ever scored for United with 249.

That record was broken by Wayne Rooney in 2017, but most forget that while Rooney broke Charlton’s record in fewer games, the majority of Charlton’s goals came from an attacking midfield position rather than as a striker.

Renowned for his never-ending cardio, an incredibly hard shot and the ability to score goals from seemingly anywhere on the pitch, Charlton first broke through at United as one of the ‘Busby Babes’ in the mid-1950’s, and won his first league title in the 1956/57 season.

In 1958, he was one of the players to survive the Munich air crash and then helped to rebuild the team as their star man.

He won the FA Cup with United in 1962/63 – their first post-Munich trophy – and then went on to help them capture league titles in 1964/65 and 1966/67, before finally scoring twice in the European Cup final in 1968 against Benfica as United won the trophy for the first time.

He was awarded the Ballon d’Or in 1966 and remains a United legend, as he currently sits on the Board of Directors.

Charlton’s influence at United went further than his goals and legendary performances in the red shirt – he was the man who most helped to regain the momentum lost by the club after Munich; the man who more than any other helped to find light in a truly dark moment.